Beauty Knows No Boundaries

Embroidery of birch bark with moose hair was first practiced by the Ursuline nuns of Quebec in about 1700. Think of the wide range of objects and designs that a skilled artisan could create using these two versatile, natural materials. It’s easy to see why the technique eventually caught on with many First Nations people, including the Mi’kmaq. But when something crosses cultures this successfully, it can be difficult to trace the exact origins of an object. We think this splendid spectacles case from the 1800s comes from Shubenacadie, Nova Scotia.